Vacuum cleaner trap



P. A. LUNDIN VACUUM CLEANER TRAP Filed Oct. 7,

Aug. 23, 1966 INVENTOR r-qr ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,267,650 VACUUM CLEANER TRAP Philip A. Lundin, 1519 Tangerine St., Clearwater, Fla. Filed Oct. 7, H63, Ser. No. 314,354 1 Claim. (Cl. 55-433) This invention relates to cleaning generally including surfaces of floors, furniture and other objects, and to equipment including suction cleaners by means of which the removal of dust and dirt incident to such cleaning is performed.

The invention relates particularly to suction cleaners having suction producing means which produce enough suction to pick up small solid articles of varying weights and materials, including metallic articles, and carry them through a tube into a dust bag.

Suction cleaners have been known to pick up small articles of various kinds and transmit them into dust bags where they are deposited with accumulated dust and dirt, making it diflicult to separate them from the contained dust and dirt. Attempts have been made to provide traps in vacuum cleaners or portions where removal could be made of solid particles ahead of the dust bag. Most of these devices have had screens or catching means for the articles which pass through the suction cleaner hose but such screens or catch devices have not been satisfactory and have interfered with the operation and reduced the efliciency of the cleaner.

It is an object of the invention to provide a trap which can be inserted in a suction cleaner hose and utilized for recovering small articles dropped on rugs, floor surfaces and elsewhere and which are hard to see and sometimes.

have been given up as lost, but at times have been recovered by being picked up by suction cleaners.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap for insertion in the hose of a suction cleaner for separating small articles of varying specific gravities picked up by the cleaner before such articles are carried into the dust bag of the cleaner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating the use of one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, a perspective of the trap;

FIG. 3, a view on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5, a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Briefly stated the invention is a trap readily applicable in a suction cleaner hose, such trap having offset extremities connected by an angular intermediate portion which tubular extremities are of a complementary size to couple with the hose. In its intermediate portion the trap has an opening and about said opening is provided a receptacle or container having a trap door in its bottom by means of which access is afforded to any articles trapped as well as providing for the removal of dust and dirt. In view of the fact that the opening in the hose section to which the trap is attached is in the angular portion articles of light weight but relatively large size which tend to rise and swirl with the air-flow will be caused to pass into the trap by centrifugal force. Slightly heavier articles will be deflected by the wall of the angular portion into the receptacle, while still heavier articles will drop by gravity thereinto.

With continued reference to the drawing an ordinary suction cleaner has means within the same for producing pronounced suction through a flexible hose 11, a wand 12, and a nozzle13 for drawing dust and dirt through the nozzle 13, the wand 12, and connecting hose into the cleaner 10.

3,267,650 Patented August 23, 1966 ice In order to divert and trap small objects a unitary pipe section is provided having a pair of parallel and straight portions 14 and 15 of corresponding diameter connected by an intermediate angular or inclined portion 16, the pipe section being normally positioned in a vertical plane when in use. The free end of the inlet and upper straight portion 14 is provided with a reduced portion 17 of a size to have a friction fit with the wand 12 into which it is adapted to be inserted. Also the outlet and lower straight portion 15 has at its free extremity an enlarged portion 18 of a size to receive the hose 11 so that the pipe section may be readily inserted in the suction line between the nozzle and the cleaner.

The bottom of the angular portion 16 and the adjacent part of the lower outlet portion 15 of the pipe have an elongated opening 19 formed therein about which a depending, generally rectangular trap or receptacle 20 of a width corresponding to that of the pipe is fastened by welding or the like. The bottom of the trap is provided with an access and clean-out opening closed by a hinged door 21 mounted on a pivot 22 and releasably held closed by a latch 23 engaging a boss 24. The door also may have an operating knob 25 by which it may be swung open.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when small objects are dropped they may be readily recovered by the use of the invention inserted in the hose extending between the operating tool or nozzle and a suction cleaner with no appreciable resistance to the movement of such solid articles because of the change in direction or angularity of the pipe section. In operation solid objects of light weight will be picked up and travel in a swirling or circular path at the top of the tube and at the point of the angle these items will be discharged by centrifugal force through the opening into the trap. Slightly heavier objects will be deflected into the trap by hitting the opposite side of the angular portion of the pipe section, while still heavier objects which travel along the bottom of the air hose will fall by gravity into the trap.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

A rigid unitary trap device adapted to releasably inter-connect the wand of a vacuum cleaner with a suction hose for entrapping relatively heavy solids drawn by suction into the Wand,

said unitary device comprising parallel and straight inlet and outlet pipe port-ions of substantially the same diameter and longitudinally off-set from each other for an appreciable distance in a common plane and adapted when used to be disposed in a vertical plane with said outlet pipe portion being disposed below the inlet pipe portion,

the remote ends of said parallel pipe portions being respectively shaped for detachable connection to a wand and a suction hose,

an inclined pipe portion of substantially the same diameter as said parallel straight pipe portions and integrally connecting said parallel and straight pipe portions and arcuately connected to the latter at each of its opposite ends, said inclined pipe portion having its upper interior surface curving uniformly downwardly from said inlet pipe portion to said outlet pipe portion to deflect downwardly the heavier solids drawn by suction into the cleaner and to provide minimum turbulence and minimum resistance to the flow of air therethrough,

r 3 4 a relatively large elongated single opening formed in clean-out opening to enable the removal of solids the bottom of said inclined pipe portion and the adentrappgd in aid receptacle, joining bottom portion of said lower parallel and straight outlet pipe portion, References Cited by the Examiner an elongated generally rectangular receptacle disposed 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS in the same said plane and of a Width corresponding a substantially to that of the upper and lower parallel 5251012 8/1894 Goan 55*461 X and straight pipe portions and integrally connected 821, 5/ 1906 Nellmalm 209143 to the lower end portion of said inclined pipe por- 942,139 12/1909 Green 15-339 X tion and said lower parallel and straight pipe portion 954,164 4/ 1910 Broekerna 55434 to enclose said elongated opening, 1,230,757 6/ 1917 Morrison 209-l36 a portion of said receptacle extending beyond said in- 2,293,920 8/1942 Replogle -339 X clined pipe portion to underlie a portion of said 2,316,836 4/1943 Breuer 55-334 X pp r p r ll l nd st igh inl pip por i n, 2,467,652 4/1949 Beede 15-439 X a relatively large single access and clean-out opening 15 2 535 301 2 1952 Doss 55 51 X inthe bottom ofsaidreceptacle, 2,849,080 8/1958 Enright 15-339 X closure means hinged to the lower side of said receptacle for closing said access and clean-out open- FOREIGN PATENTS ing, 943,190 4/1956 Germany.

means for releasably latching said closure means in 5 7 2 1945 Great Britaii closing position relative to said access and clean-out opening, ROBERT F. BURNETT, Primary Examiner.

and an operating member on said closure means for unlatching the same and opening said access and DKDENENBERGAsslsm'ztExammer' 

